Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro Review

Verdict

The Xiaomi Watch 2 Professional flatters to deceive, with constant bugs and common accuracy plaguing the expertise throughout the board. This could possibly be an choice for individuals who need an inexpensive and well-built smartwatch with Google’s providers connected, nevertheless it’s definitely not one we completely advocate.

Introduction

The return of Put on OS as a aggressive platform has been swift, and no smartwatch higher embodies this rebirth fairly just like the Xiaomi Watch 2 Professional.

Like Samsung’s return to the platform in 2021, Xiaomi’s arrival makes loads of sense. Whereas the corporate continues to dominate the funds health tracker market, it’s seen much less traction with its smartwatches – and up to date releases like Watch S1 Professional confirmed the evident limitations of life with out professional third-party app help. 

Emboldened by the would possibly of Google’s providers, Xiaomi isn’t holding again with this Put on OS debut. With the promise of multi-day battery life, dual-frequency GPS, and a few novel well being options, it’s a smartwatch with an enviable spec sheet that instantly shoots into competition for the title of ‘greatest Put on OS smartwatch’.

However these sorts of titles aren’t received on paper, and, after intensive real-world testing, the Xiaomi Watch 2 Professional proves why. Listed here are my ideas.

Design and display screen

• Singular 47.6mm case measurement
• Stainless-steel case; 54.5g
• 1.43-inch AMOLED show

How you’re feeling concerning the design of the Watch 2 Professional will largely depend upon the way you view the remainder of the competitors.

For many who discover the Pixel Watch 2’s 41mm case to be too small to even take significantly, or the TicWatch 5 not fairly fashionable sufficient, the 47.6mm case of Xiaomi’s providing is probably going the right treatment. It’s something however unisex, however I believe those that desire greater watches that may mix into extra formal events might be drawn in by the Watch 2 Professional’s look.

It’s cleaner-looking than most of its Put on OS teammates, and the heft of its 11.8mm thickness and 54.5g weight implies that it does really feel like a considerable, well-made watch.

The difficulty with this added chunk is that it’s a reasonably disagreeable watch to put on throughout train or sleep monitoring. It could be across the similar thickness because the TicWatch Professional 5, and solely round 10g heavier, nevertheless it feels very completely different when it comes to consolation. 

I regularly adjusted the strap throughout runs with a purpose to keep away from the case slipping, and the distribution of that chrome steel in opposition to a plastic strap simply doesn’t actually work that nicely.

For many who don’t actually plan on utilizing the Watch 2 Professional for a lot vigorous train, I’m certain this might be no downside, nevertheless it’s definitely been my least favorite of the Put on OS 2023 class to strap on for a 24/7 testing interval.

However, I don’t actually have any complaints concerning the 1.43-inch AMOLED show. The 60Hz refresh fee does appear barely extra jittery than different Put on OS watches, however the readability and brightness are very good in all circumstances I examined in.

Options and efficiency

• Put on OS 3.5 out of the field
• Speedy efficiency from Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1
• Affected by bugs and companion app points

The introduction of Put on OS is undoubtedly essentially the most attention-grabbing side of the Xiaomi Watch 2 Professional, promising to succeed in above the barebones expertise provided by older Xiaomi watches. 

Whereas this does lastly imply there’s a Xiaomi watch that may ship integration with the likes of Google Maps, Pockets, Dwelling, and even Assistant, this hasn’t reworked the expertise in fairly the way in which I hoped it might.

Xiaomi has basically baked within the core parts of Google’s software program right here, and that’s good within the case of apps, the odd watch face, and streamlining logins, however there are nonetheless critical points with an absence of polish right here with the corporate’s MIUI pores and skin. 

I’ve encountered a few situations of the watch changing into locked on a loading display screen after being taken off cost, whereas Spotify has additionally crashed throughout playlist downloading on a few events, too. 

This type of stuff could also be forgivable, even when it’s not one thing you’ll discover on different Put on OS skins, however there’s a evident lack of intuitive options right here, too. In some methods, it seems like a pores and skin that hasn’t been beta-tested.

For instance, there’s no setting that lets you shortly kill the display screen for sleep hours (except you arrange a schedule), and exercise monitoring screens don’t seem on the show all through the course of monitoring, which suggests you need to awkwardly deliver up the exercise app mid-flow. 

After which there’s the Mi Health app, which is able to regularly current you with bugged data you can’t view – or, as I’ll element under, information that simply doesn’t actually add up.

Whereas the addition of Google’s providers is undoubtedly nice, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5+ platform ensures the expertise typically stays zippy, this seems like a little bit of a missed alternative from Xiaomi to ship an efficient software program expertise.

Health and well being monitoring

• Twin-frequency GNSS monitoring underperforms
• Coronary heart monitoring struggles with modifications in depth
• Restoration insights aren’t dependable

Xiaomi has a robust tendency to overdeliver options and underperform the execution of them in its wearables, and this theme very a lot continues with the Xiaomi Watch 2 Professional’s monitoring. 

Whether or not it’s coronary heart fee monitoring accuracy, GPS monitoring, or the overall swathe of information, there are some main caveats to understand right here. 

I discovered the Watch 2 Professional’s estimations of VO2 Max, restoration time from exercises, coaching load and the prefer to be nothing higher than very tough ballpark figures when in comparison with the ranges offered by both Garmin, Whoop, or Oura, and even one thing fundamental like step monitoring was pretty inconsistent. 

Within the meatier areas of train monitoring, it suffers from each glitches and, typically, fairly common accuracy. 

Coronary heart fee monitoring, for instance, can typically keep fairly near a Garmin Epix Professional (Gen 2) or Wahoo Tickr X chest strap when the tempo is regular, nevertheless it begins to deviate fairly drastically as quickly because the gears of depth change. 

This implies common HR readings turn out to be skewed by round 5-7 BPM lower than what they need to be, whereas I additionally discovered the odd session was utterly bugged and didn’t decide up my coronary heart fee. 

GPS accuracy fares barely higher, and is sufficient to achieve at the very least a stable perception into the type of distance you’ve coated, however that is nonetheless on no account the identical type of laser-sharp dual-frequency GNSS accuracy that I’ve come to count on from Apple and Garmin’s comparable choices. 

It additionally suffers from comparatively frequent bugged session syncs over to the Mi Health companion app, which renders post-workout information pretty ineffective. 

Xiaomi has managed to ship one thing comparatively novel throughout the Watch 2 Professional’s well being monitoring – physique composition evaluation – which is commendable in an more and more aggressive space of smartwatches. 

I’ve seen Samsung provide this function (with blended accuracy) during the last couple of watch generations, although it’s at all times required a Samsung telephone to make use of it.

That’s not the case right here, in fact, which suggests you’ll be able to shortly obtain a breakdown of your physique’s muscle mass, fats share and extra from merely holding your center and ring fingers on the system’s two aspect buttons. 

Additionally, you will need to know your weight and enter this manually, so that is very a lot only a calculation of proportions and never wholesale mimicking of a sensible scale.

All of it sounds nice on paper, however, as with most issues carried out by the Watch 2 Professional, I discovered the accuracy to be fairly tough right here. 

One thing like physique fats share, for instance, was registered round 5% increased than the 14.7-15.1% vary delivered by the Fitbit Aria 2 and Garmin Index S2, whereas back-to-back readings will even see this determine fluctuate by as a lot as 2-3%. Not nice, even for illustrative functions.

Issues are, at the very least, somewhat higher in different areas of Xiaomi’s well being monitoring. It’s nonetheless somewhat irksome that many options – like SpO2 monitoring – are turned off by default, however the information ranges for this, pores and skin temperature, resting coronary heart fee and extra are all in a great place.

Although Xiaomi doesn’t have the identical pedigree in sleep monitoring as you’ll discover from the likes of Fitbit, the expertise on provide right here is nice sufficient for very informal glances at your slumber. 

Go to sleep, time in mattress and wake-up instances can match up nicely with the estimations from Garmin, Whoop, and Oura, and, when you activate ‘superior monitoring’, you’ll additionally achieve insights into sleep phases. 

It’s on no account a complete view, and there’s additionally no restoration insights or knock-on impact monitoring your sleep has on the remainder of the Xiaomi Watch 2 Professional expertise, nevertheless it does at the very least handle to do the fundamentals to a sure customary. 

The one actual challenge right here is, as soon as once more, the extent of presentation inside Mi Health. I’m unable to see any of my sleep within the every day view attributable to a bug, which suggests my breakdowns are confined to weekly or month-to-month summaries. It’s one other instance of the shortage of polish throughout the board.

Battery life

• Can final 2-3 days on a single cost
• Battery modes and have management enable battery flexibility
• Charging speeds are fast 

With the ability effectivity of the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 processor, the Xiaomi Watch 2 Professional is ready to obtain true multi-day battery life.

Undoubtedly one of many few shiny spots of the watch, I sometimes discovered that it was in a position to clear two days comfortably – even with the always-on show enabled, medium brightness, notifications streaming in, an hour of tracked exercise time and a few beforehand disabled settings turned on.

Considerably heavier days might even see you charging after round 45-48 hours, however Xiaomi’s estimation of 65 hours might be about proper for many use circumstances.  

And when it’s time to revive some juice, it’s additionally extremely sharp. I used to be sometimes in a position to go from flat (or very low battery) in round 40 minutes, and this additionally means topping up sufficient battery to get by the remainder of the day is so simple as putting it on the charging puck for 10-Quarter-hour.

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